Brawl punctuates Canada rout of Mexico in WBC

PHOENIX  Less than 18 hours after its upset of the U.S., Team Mexico was all but eliminated from the World Baseball Classic, but the Mexicans were going down fighting. As were Team Canada.

The latter’s 10-3 rout of Mexico, now 1-2 in the WBC, at Chase Field included a brawl near the mound. The afternoon game was virtually over, Canada leading 9-3 in the top of the ninth, when players from both benches did a full-out charge toward the mound.

The Mexicans were upset not just about the score and likely elimination from the tournament, but a couple of hard slides by Canadian baserunners and a leadoff bunt in the ninth by catcher Chris Robinson with Mexico down by six. After two straight obvious tries that missed its target, Team Mexico pitcher Arnold Leon hit Canada’s Rene Tosoni, and the fight was on.

This wasn’t your usual baseball dance-around, but with punches definitely being thrown, not unlike an NHL game breaking out. Order was restored on the field, but tensions ran high in the crowd, especially after a water bottle was fired from the crowd and struck Team Canada coach Denny Boucher.

Four Mexican players – Leon, Eduardo Arredondo, Alfredo Aceves and former Padres pitcher Oliver Perez – were ejected from the game. Tosoni and teammates Pete Orr and Jay Johnson also were tossed. It was determined yet whether any of the ejected Canadian players will be eligible for Sunday’s game against the U.S.

The very format of the WBC came into question as a result of the fighting. Tiebreakers are decided by run differential, and at th etime, it was possible that three of the four teams in Pool lD would finish 1-2.

“It was just simply, I think, a misunderstanding,” said Team Mexico manager Rick Renteria, who is also the Padres’ bench coach. “In a normal professional setting, a 9-3 bunt in that particular situation would be kind of out of the ordinary. But based on the rules that have been established in this tournament, it was talked about that those things may occur, and I think you lose sight of that in the heat of battle.”

Said Canadian counterpart Ernie Whitt: In this tournament, you play baseball like it’s 0-0. That’s the unfortunate thing. What happened tonight is because of the rulings they have.”

Mexico completed all of its first-round games with a 1-2 record, but its elimination still depended on the result of Saturday night ga,me’s between the U.S. and unbeaten Italy.